Building a Brand is all the BUZZ pt 2 of 2

So how did I get here?

I’m the kinda gal that never wanted to be beholden to a man. It’s not that I’m a man hater (to the contrary, I loves me some mens!!), but I never wanted to be the gal who had to wait for her husband to get home to turn on the grill, so I learned how to fire it up myself. In fact, in my house, I’m the grill master.

Eons ago, I had an idea to build a piece of art which needed to be made using power tools. My husband started to build the art piece for me until I demanded that he STOP! I wanted to be the one to do it. He showed me how to use the tool, and then I built the piece myself… years later, I even became a spokesperson for Skil power tools, teaching women how to power it up with power tools!

Doing things myself initially grew out of ego, and not wanting to be a weak, unskilled woman who was beholden to a man. But then it morphed.

When we bought our first home, we didn’t have enough money leftover to hire a fancy schmancy general contractor for our remodel, so I became the GC and grunt worker. I had champagne taste and a beer budget, so I did what I could myself, and only brought in the high-paid pros when I could go no further. Once the pros where on the jobsite, I shadowed them to learn what I could, so I could replicate it next time.

Shadowing true professionals has single-handedly been the most influential aspect to building my brand.

If you’re struggling with either finding your brand, or choosing between several areas (i.e., design, parties, DIY, food, etc), might I suggest looking beneath the surface, like I did. There is likely some commonality in your interests; connecting the data points might be the task. If you need help with that, this book is an oldie and true a goodie: What Color Is Your Parachute? Funny enough, I’m currently midway through the workbook in an effort to further refine my brand, which is always evolving.

Having this “Dame on a dime” brand moniker still allows me to be exactly who I am, but it has created a way for others to classify me. People feel better when they can put you in a box. Allow them to do so, as long as you know the totality of your brand. Whatever you do, do NOT (I repeat DO NOT) allow your brand to be portrayed as something it is not. It won’t last the marathon. Sure, it might be great for a little sprint, but once you’ve tuckered out, you’ll be back to trying to figure out what your brand is.